Barking Riverside is one of Europe’s largest and most exciting residential developments, providing East London with thousands of new homes. Our brand captures the spirit and energy of this unique, large-scale development.
In the following pages, we introduce you to the brand, highlight what makes Barking Riverside special and provide practical guidance on how to apply the brand correctly.
Our boilerplate statement is here to guide our communications and ensure consistency in our presentation of Barking Riverside.
Barking Riverside is one of Europe’s largest and most exciting residential developments, providing East London with thousands of new homes.
Benefitting from a unique location on the banks of the River Thames, Barking Riverside comprises of 443 acres – an area larger than Hyde Park – on a brownfield site formerly occupied by the historic 1920’s Barking Power Station. Connected to central London via the recently extended Overground and River bus services, Barking Riverside is ideal for those who want fast and easy access to London as well as an abundance of open spaces.
Barking Riverside is already home to a diverse, vibrant and active community of over 6,000 residents. Existing amenities include five schools, one of which is an Ofsted Outstanding secondary school; two community hubs; cycling and walking routes; open spaces and play parks; state-of-the-art recycling and waste management facilities; and a rolling calendar of social activities, including resident-led events and festivals.
The delivery of Barking Riverside is being led by master developer Barking Riverside Limited, a joint venture between the Mayor of London and housing association L&Q.
The development will ultimately deliver up to 20,000 homes and 65,600 sqm of non-residential mixed-use floor space for a community of up to 50,000 people.
The Barking Riverside project is strengthened by delivery partnerships with Transport for London, Uber Boat by Thames Clippers, Bellway London, and the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.
An emerging area in vibrant East London, Barking Riverside stands out as one of the most significant developments in London.
What is our boilerplate statement
Our boilerplate statement contains all the necessary details needed to describe Barking Riverside consistently and accurately across various materials. Using this helps us maintain a strong and effective brand voice across all communications. It ensures that we present a unified message and stay on brand.
When to use the boilerplate statement
Our boilerplate statement should be used in various written communications and materials where a consistent and standardised description of Barking Riverside is required. Specific examples include business reports, presentations, press releases, marketing materials, company profiles, partnership profiles, official correspondence, and social media and website profiles.
How to use this?
Do’s and Don’ts of using the boilerplate statement
Our creative concept, “A place to be, become, and belong,” serves as both a theme and a literal representation.
Do
Use the boilerplate statement across all materials mentioned above to ensure the consistency of brand messaging.
Firstly, it guides our brand positioning and messaging, communicating to the consumer that Barking Riverside “is a place to be, become and belong”.
Contact the BRL communications team if the boilerplate requires editing to fit a specific context or document.
Don’t
Do not change key statements or facts.
How not to use our brand promise. Our brand promise is not a tagline or slogan, so we should avoid using it in that manner, especially in presentations and reports. Instead, we should focus on incorporating it into our actions and decisions.
In practical terms, “A place to be, become, and belong” is to used as a supporting tagline on various marketing materials, including our website social media, advertising, brochures, presentations, reports, and business stationery.
WHAT MAKES BARKING RIVERSIDE SPECIAL
Barking Riverside is already a great place to live in, thanks to its original features as well as the development that has taken place to date. The following pages list our Unique Selling Points (USPs).
These are the most important features to mention when talking about Barking Riverside.
Barking Riverside, whilst still in its early development stages, offers a unique set of features and characteristics.
Unrivalled location on the banks of the
Excellent transport services and connections
Award-winning projects which give residents a voice
and ambition
approach to partnerships
An active and diverse community
River Thames
Scale
Innovative
When and where to use the USPs
These USPs summarise the intrinsic features of Barking Riverside. We encourage you to reference these points when discussing what makes Barking Riverside stand out as a major development scheme, and to use them as proof points to demonstrate why this is a once-in-a-lifetime project.
A rolling calendar of action-packed events
Unique ecology
A commitment to sustainability
An outstanding choice of education
Unrivalled location on the banks of the River Thames
There are few places that can offer such a truly unique and iconic location as Barking Riverside. Sitting on the banks of the River Thames, the neighbourhood stretches across 2km of south-facing river frontage, which is being brought back to life with riverside walking, running and cycling routes, as well as a busy programme of outdoor events.
The riverfront and coastal grassland themselves are rich in wildlife, with seals and wading birds frequently spotted in this area.
Scale and ambition
The Barking Riverside development is one of the largest and most ambitious residential developments in Europe. Situated on 443 acres of brownfield land, this area is larger than the whole of Hyde Park.
Barking Riverside is revitalising an exindustrial area into a vibrant and thriving neighbourhood in East London. The scheme has submitted a new outline planning application to deliver up to 20,000 homes and 65,600 sqm of nonresidential uses for a community of up to 50,000 people, making this the second largest development site in London and the largest under single ownership.
Excellent transport services and connections
Barking Riverside offers excellent transport connections, featuring a new Overground station and river bus pier, both providing fast and convenient links to London and beyond.
The local area is well-served by 24-hour bus services, and a growing network of cycling and walking routes.
Sustainable travel is further supported by electric vehicle charging points and a car sharing club.
Innovative approach to partnerships
Barking Riverside is delivered by the master developer Barking Riverside Ltd (BRL), a joint venture between housing association L&Q and the Mayor of London. BRL unites diverse partners around a long-term sense of purpose, working collaboratively with key stakeholders such as Homes England, Barking and Dagenham Council, Transport for London, Uber Boat by Thames Clippers and residents.
Award-winning projects which give residents a voice
As master developer of Barking Riverside, BRL is on a journey to deliver a longlasting legacy for a diverse, engaged, and inclusive community.
BRL ensures the partnership with the local community is meaningful through a series of social impact projects, most notably the Thames Futures research framework. The Barking Riverside Community Interest Company (CIC) is an industry benchmark, creating resident-led legacy vehicle that will be in charge of managing the estate in the future.
An active and diverse community
Barking Riverside is home to a diverse and welcoming community, that is invested to making this the best place it can be. Residents actively shape their social environment, creating a deep sense of purpose, belonging, and pride.
For residents who are eager to play a more fundamental role in neighbourhood decision-making, or who want to actively plan activities for their friends and neighbours, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved, from the Resident Events Panel to the Resident Editorial Board.
To support community life, BRL has already delivered two community centres in these early stages of the development: The Wilds and the Rivergate Centre. Both are actively used by community groups and local organisations for regular weekly activities.
A rolling calendar of social and cultural events
Events play an essential role at Barking Riverside, uniting the community and showcasing its vibrancy to a wider audience. From art exhibitions to makers workshops, outdoor cinemas, and large-scale festivals like Emerge East, a rolling calendar of ever-changing events celebrates the creative nature of Barking Riverside, appealing to both residents and visitors.
Events are an important test bed for the future amenity offer at Barking Riverside: they allow BRL to trial demand and incubate leisure ideas. They are also essential to present the neighbourhood as a vibrant and dynamic place to live now.
An outstanding choice of education
Barking Riverside has an enviable choice of educational facilities – five schools, encompassing two primary schools, an Ofsted-rated “Outstanding” secondary school, and two Special Educational Needs (SEN) schools. There are two private nurseries and a preschool on-site, with two more schools in plan.
Local schools also provide additional social infrastructure, such as sport halls and pitches available for use by the community.
Unique ecology
The Barking Riverside foreshore is a great place to spot wildlife, such as the Grey Seal, often found sunbathing on the mud flats, as well as several species of wading birds.
BRL works with ecologists in order to preserve and enhance the local natural features, and several dedicated wildlife habitats have been established to support the rich flora and fauna of the area.
A commitment to sustainability
Barking Riverside is committed to innovative and sustainable practices, with a focus on promoting green behaviours.
One example of this is the Envac waste collection system, which utilises vacuum suction to remove household waste. This has reduced air pollution generated by waste collection vans by 90% as well as quadrupled household recycling rates beyond comparable averages.
Most significantly, greener and cleaner modes of transport have been prioritised within the masterplan, including walking, cycling, public transport and car-sharing schemes, all of which contribute to reducing emissions by decreasing private vehicle journeys.
A smart investment
By providing East London with new, vitally needed homes, Barking Riverside offers an attractive opportunity for home buyers seeking a balance between good value for money and potential value for growth.
Whether these are first time buyers taking their initial step on the property ladder or growing families wanting more space, Barking Riverside promotes accessible residential solutions through a variety of tenures on offer by its plot developers.
WORDS THAT DESCRIBE OUR PERSONALITY
Brands, like individuals, have distinct personalities that shape their appearance, communication style, and behaviour. These characteristics, akin to human traits, influence a brand’s visual and verbal identity. A brand personality holds significance as people frequently base their decisions on their perception of a brand.
Our personality is a powerful asset that sets us apart and showcases our unique qualities. By effectively communicating our personality, we come alive and highlight what distinguishes Barking Riverside.
These are the describing words you can and should use when writing about Barking Riverside the place.
Collaborative
Barking Riverside is:
A place to be, become and belong.
A brand positioning statement expresses how a brand wants to be perceived by its target audiences while enabling it to differentiate itself from other brands and establish a unique position in the market.
The positioning statement guides a brand’s creative direction, including how the brand looks and feels.
To make Barking Riverside stand out and convey our unique offering, we have created a positioning statement that drives our creative direction.
Use our brand positioning statement as a supporting tagline on the title pages of presentations, reports, and marketing materials. By doing so, you reinforce what Barking Riverside stands for now and its ambition for the future.
What do we mean by “A place to be, become and belong”?
A place to be, become
A place to be
Barking Riverside is already an established neighbourhood with many achievements to celebrate, making this a great place to live now.
A place to become
Barking Riverside is a place with huge potential and high ambitions. This transformational neighbourhood is set to flourish further, with residents sharing this journey with us.
become and belong.
A place to belong
Barking Riverside is a place that promotes pride and purpose, where people are at the centre now and for generations to come.
To make Barking Riverside stand out and convey our unique offering, we at BRL have developed a brand promise that not only drives our brand direction but our work today and our legacy in the future.
PROUD TO BE A RIVERSIDER
What do we mean by “Proud to be a Riversider”?
Our organisation’s brand promise is our commitment to the Barking Riverside community, both old and new, to our business partners, and our plot developers. It is our dedication to creating a place where people feel a genuine sense of belonging and are proud to call Barking Riverside their home. We believe that this commitment is at the foundation of everything we do, and that makes our work stand apart from other development schemes.
How is our brand promise used?
Our brand promise influences how people, including our colleagues, stakeholders, and partners, see our company. When we all come together around this promise, it helps us agree on what we want to achieve. So, including our brand promise in presentations, internal documents, and reports is a good idea. This way, everyone can be reminded of what we stand for and what we’re working towards.
How
not to use our brand promise.
Our brand promise influences how people, including our colleagues, stakeholders, and partners, see our company. When we all come together around this promise, it helps us agree on what we want to achieve. So, including our brand promise in presentations, internal documents, and reports is a good idea. This way, everyone can be reminded of what we stand for and what we’re working towards.
Master logo
Colour
Community, development and place photography
Graphics & Icon libraries
Typography
PROUD TO BE A RIVERSIDER
Bold and unique, the Barking Riverside logo is a stamp of authenticity. Its shape is inspired by the heptagonal footprint of Barking Riverside and designed to be a confident symbol of pride, purpose and belonging.
Selecting which logo to use
The Master logo should always be used at the first touch points with the audience, for example on physical gateways, advertising or cover pages of brochures.
This establishes Barking Riverside as a joint venture between L&Q and the Mayor of London early on, and creates the right hierarchy amongst the key organisations involved.
Master logo
Logomark
Logotype
In order to maintain the clarity and visual integrity of our logos, we must ensure the right amount of clear space surrounds them at all times.
Minimum allowed size
When grouping our Master logo with partner logos please follow guidance on spacing and alignment. The correct artwork and rules for using correctly can be found on the Brand Hub.
Our brand colours have been carefully selected to help us encapsulate and express the energy, creativity and inclusivity of the place, the people and the project.
The way in which we use our colours plays a big part in maintaining the brand integrity. Below are the approximate proportions to be used across all areas of visual design.
Before using colour
When working with colour it is important to follow the guidelines on the Brand Hub. Here you will find help to understand which colour pairings are allowed and which are not.
Primary colour values Se
BRL Light Blue
HEX #8BA5FF
RGB 139, 165, 255
CMYK 44, 35, 0, 0
RAL N/A
PMS
BRL Electric Blue HEX #0321EC
RGB 3, 33, 236
CMYK 100, 85, 0, 5 RAL N/A
PMS
Our primary palette and is used across the brand from corporate marketing to community focused and placemaking.
BRL Dark Blue HEX #2D3044
RGB 45, 48, 68
CMYK 85, 75, 45, 50
RAL 5008
PMS 533
BRL Light Grey HEX #DDDDD9
RGB 221, 221, 217
CMYK 12, 9, 12, 0
RAL 9002
PMS
BRL Black 100% HEX #212421
RGB 33, 36, 33
CMYK
RAL
PMS
Secondary colour values
BRL Black 75% HEX #585b59
RGB 88, 91, 89
CMYK
RAL
PMS
BRL Black 50% HEX #8d8e8d
RGB 142, 142, 142
CMYK
RAL
PMS
White
HEX #FFFFFF
RGB 255, 255, 255
CMYK
RAL
PMS
BRL Turquoise HEX #00C2C4
RGB 0, 194, 196
CMYK 80, 0, 30, 0 RAL 5018
PMS
BRL Yellow HEX #FDE800
RGB 253, 232, 0
CMYK 5, 5, 100, 0 RAL 1018
PMS
BRL Emerald HEX #40C480
RGB 64, 196, 128
CMYK 80, 0, 75, 0 RAL N/A
PMS
BRL Orange HEX #FF4700
RGB 255, 71, 0
CMYK 0, 85, 100, 0
RAL 2004
PMS
TYPOGRAPHY
TYPOGRAPHY
Typography is an integral part of our visual identity. Used as intended it helps us to maintain a strong, unified brand. Please only use our fonts and the typesetting we suggest to create collateral for our brand.
BRANDING SEMIBOLD UPPERCASE
H2
Branding Semibold
Sentence Case
OPEN SANS SEMIBOLD
Open Sans Semibold
Open Sans Regular
Open Sans Light*
Branding Semibold
We use the Branding typeface to give modernity, accessibility and impact to our communications.
Open Sans
We use Open Sans Regular & Semibold because it is optimised for print, web, and mobile interfaces and offers excellent legibility.
Our H1 Font is Branding Semibold set in Uppercase. The H1 style is used to create impact throughout the brand across all brand touch points. This H1 style should be used for high impact and single word messaging, calls to action and URLs.
Our H2 Font is Branding Semibold set in Sentence Case. The H2 style is used throughout the brand estate across all brand touch points. This H2 style should be used for sub-heads, intro paragraphs, quotes, and pull-outs.
Our house body font is Open Sans Regular & Semibold because, it is optimised for print, web, and mobile interfaces and offers excellent legibility. Body copy and data should only be set in Open Sans Regular & Semibold. Secondary Headings and Map markers can be set in Open Sans Semibold Uppercase.
*Open Sans Light can be used only on print, and for finer details such as image captions or footnotes.
When using colour and type together in presentations, internal and external documents, it is important to adhere to the approved colour pairings below.
CORPORATE COLOUR AND TYPE
Use the primary corporate palette making sure text is set against a contrasting background tone and text is clear and legible.
CORPORATE COLOUR AND TYPE
Use the primary corporate palette making sure text is set against a contrasting background tone and text is clear and legible.
White text on BRL Electric Blue
BRL Dark Blue text on BRL Light Blue
CORPORATE COLOUR AND TYPE
Use the primary corporate palette making sure text is set against a contrasting background tone and text is clear and legible.
CORPORATE COLOUR AND TYPE
Use the primary corporate palette making sure text is set against a contrasting background tone and text is clear and legible.
CORPORATE COLOUR AND TYPE
Use the primary corporate palette making sure text is set against a contrasting background tone and text is clear and legible.
CORPORATE COLOUR AND TYPE
Use the primary corporate palette making sure text is set against a contrasting background tone and text is clear and legible.
White text on BRL Dark Blue
BRL Dark Blue text on BRL Light Grey
BRL Light Blue text on BRL Dark Blue
BRL Electric Blue text on BRL Light Grey
Our graphic library is made up of a series of energetic and creative illustrations, each depicting a key asset at Barking Riverside.
Using our graphics in design application
See the Brand Hub for guidelines on how to use our brand graphics in design
Our library of icons serve as key communication tools for several major brand touchpoints, including our website, presentation documents and maps.
We use Google’s Material Design icon library as a source of icons. We also use Google’s best practice guidelines for designing new icons to ensure that any new icons we make have the same style and specs as those in the Google library.
We use a 6x6 grid when setting design and layouts across all brand touch points. This enables us to maintain a consistent look and feel throughout the brand. The grid is used both portrait and landscape, allowing us to build in sections to hold brand assets, from colour, typography and imagery in a structured way.
PROUD TO BE A RIVERSIDER
STRUCTURE, GRID, LA EXAMPLES
STRUCTURE, GRID, LAYOUT EXAMPLES
We use the brand heptagon as a frame for design executions. It can be used to hold imagery and colour. The heptagon can be placed across the grid for both portrait and landscapes as illustrated on the following pages.
In instances where the grid format doesn’t add enough energy or isn’t appropriate, we use the brand heptagon as a graphic component. This secondary device can be used to hold imagery and colour and placed across the grid for both portrait and landscape applications as illustrated below and on the following pages.
Used at an angle, the brand heptagon forms a directional graphic that can be pointed in both directions.
We want our photography to capture the diversity and character of the community.
Images should always represent the diverse range of people living in Barking Riverside evenly in terms of age, gender, ethnicity and household makeup (families, couples, individuals, etc.)
Images should never look staged and should tell a story about local people and/or the place. A mix of lightly orchestrated setup shots with reportage-style shots that capture a moment, an expression and experience is preferred.
Avoid selecting photos that focus to closely on detail and loose the context of the Barking Riverside narrative.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about our brand.
